All your stories

A local coffee brewer has been honoured for having the best customer service in the city.

Other Brother Roasters will be receiving the P.W. Enns Customer Service Award at this year’s award ceremony.

“It was incredible to even be nominated,” owner Erin Plett said. “It was a feeling of being grateful that people are viewing our business as a place they can come and feel supported and have a good interaction with the people here and our products.”

Other Brother only moved into their retail space in September of last year, but have been operating since 2012 primarily through emails and texting. The company started when Plett’s husband Sam started roasting coffee on a popcorn popper, and the business has since taken off.

Plett said she loves having a physical storefront and being able to conduct business face-to-face. “I definitely love that aspect of it,” she said. “It was about four or five years of just interacting with customers by text or email, meeting occasionally if necessary. It’s wonderful to see our customers, hear our customers and what they’re saying about our product because we can’t get better if people aren’t telling us what they like and what they don’t like about it.”

“For us it’s just as important to know what they don’t like,” she added. “It helps us to grow and get better as a company.”

Other Brother’s coffees and teas are ethically sourced and come from all over the world, including from Mexico, Ethiopia and Brazil.

Since opening, Plett said she has seen many customers excited to have a place to come. “I’m feeling from the comments of people who have come through the door that they appreciate that it’s here and they’re excited to see where it will go. They’re excited about the products and the services we can offer.”

“I’ve been excited to see that kind of reaction to the store,” she added. “I want to keep going on this journey and see where it goes.”

Plett said quality customer service was the basis for the business right from the beginning. “I make sure to answer emails and texts as quickly as possible,” she said. “I try to find solutions to whatever problems somebody might present to us. We try to go above and beyond and really try to think about what can make that person’s experience really exceptional.”

Plett said she focuses on respect first for anyone who walks into her shop. “For us we want to make sure the person feels greeted and that it’s a warm, approachable space where people can come in and ask questions,” she said. “That they feel that they have a space to do that and that the people inside that space are friendly and being respectful to the customers.”

“I’m grateful that these awards exist because it highlights businesses,” she said. “Maybe there are some businesses that people don’t know about in the community. There are so many different services and so many different customers that offer a range of products. It’s nice to know about these companies, what their history is, where they came from, what they’re trying to do.”

“Even to be listed among some of these companies that have existed for decades and have provided so many years of service to the community really feels very humbling,” she added. “It’s a nice way to highlight the businesses here in Winkler and demonstrate the hard work that people are doing for the community.”

Plett said she wanted to thank whoever nominated Other Brother and all of their customers. “We wouldn’t be here without them,” she said.

The P.W. Enns Business Awards take place on April 19 at Winkler Bergthaler Mennonite Church. Winkler Veterinary Clinic, Heat Innovations, Central Station and Winkler Daycare Centre will also be receiving awards.